Antonio Rudiger believes Lionel Messi is the only player better than Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard in world football

HIGH PRAISE

Chelsea have made a perfect start to their season so far – winning all four games in the 2018/19 Premier League season

Antonio Rudiger says Lionel Messi is the only player in world football better than Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard.

Hazard, 27, has been head and shoulders above everyone else at the club since he arrived from Lille in 2012.

Hazard was linked with a move away from Chelsea in the summer but remains at the club

Although he is regarded as someone who could win the Ballon d’Or, Hazard has yet to mount a serious challenge to the Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo stronghold on the title.

However, Rudiger believes the Belgian is Messi’s closest challenger for this year’s accolade.

When asked about having to mark France forward Kylian Mbappe in Germany’s UEFA Nations League opener against the world champions, Rudiger said: “Mbappe is unbelievably fast, really good. “To stop him, you have to do it as a team, because alone … good luck!

“But for me, the best in the world is Messi, then Hazard.”

Messi has won the Ballon d’Or on five occasions

“To be honest, I’m surprised how well we’ve done because players like Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante had big World Cups and came back late for training.